Monday, January 31, 2005

Haiti now "more violent and more inhuman" than under Aristide

You may remember the US backed coup, which overthrew Haiti's leader Jean Bertrand Aristide. Well, apparently since the US backed the removal of the elected government in the country, the situation has sharply deteriorated, and according to an extensive report, conditions in the country are now "more violent and more inhuman" than under Aristide:

The investigation also found that the U.S. was closely involved in the effort to remove Aristide, and now is providing key support for the interim government. “Top officials (of the interim government), including the Minister of Justice, worked for U.S. government projects that undermined their predecessors,” the report states. A U.S.-backed embargo from 2000 to 2004 blocked millions of dollars in promised aid from the Inter-American Development Bank to the elected government. The U.S. now provides financial and training support for the interim government, which investigators found to be heavily influenced by Haiti’s merchant elite.
Some Bush administration opponents, including several members of the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus, criticize the president for waging war in Iraq and Afghanistan in the name of installing democracy, all while undermining the democratically elected government in Haiti. Investigators also criticize the U.S., U.N. and Canada’s current strategies in Haiti. “No one in control can claim to have made any investment in real dialogue,” the report states. “The investments that have been made are in firepower, and the dividends have not satisfied the Haitian people’s social, economic or political needs.”